Cleat attachment for football-shoes



J. K. SCHWARZER.

CLEAT ATTACHMENT FOR FOOTBALL SHOES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1921.

1,391,346 PatentedSept. 20,1921.

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TTOR/v UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

CLEAT ATTACHMENT FOR FOOTBALL-SHOES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Application 1ed April 26, 1921. Serial No. 464,658.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH K. SCHWARZER, of Syracuse, in the county o f Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cleat Attachments for Football-Shoes, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

- This invention relates to certain improvements in shoes commonly known as football shoes in which cleats or spurs are usually fastened to the under side of the sole to prevent slipping of the wearer particularly in moist ffields, and while I am aware that various forms of cleats or spurs secured by screws to metal plates v incorporated in the sole of the shoe have heretofore been proposed, I believe that vI am the first to provide conical cleats of circular cross section held in place with their larger ends against the screws passing centrally through the cleats and engaged in threaded openings of lthin metal lates which are secured to the upper face of) thgJ sole in such manner as to preserve the resiliency and flexibility of the sole and also to destribute the cleats or spurs in such manner as to afford a better grip upon the ield than has heretofore been practised.

The main object, therefore, is to increase the gripping efficiency of shoes of this character and at the same time to reduce thefsuction and-frictional resistance to withdr wal when embedded in soft earth such as wet cla or similar soil.

nother object in making the cleats conical and circular in cross section is to enable them to be self-cleaning and to reduce the liability of injury to other players by contact with the sides thereof.

A further object is to di tribute thev cleats or spurs in such manner as to assure a more accurate balance and greater rapidity of' movement in running, starting, turning or sto ping.

ther objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought out in the following description:

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the detached sole and heel to which the cleats are secured under side of the sole by showing the manner of assembling the anchor plates for the cleats.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the same sole taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the heel plate and one of the sole plates respectively.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the conical cleats or spurs.

' Fig. 7 is a sectional vview of a modified form of cleat-attaching screw and cleat.

As illustrated, the' shoe comprises a main body commonly'known as an up-per 1 having its marginal lower edges stitched in any well known manner to an inner sole 2 whch is provided with a welt -3- for securement by stitc ing to the main sole f1- having a' heel portion -5- adapted to be fastened in any well known manner to the adjacent portion o-f the in-sole -2-, said main sole 4.- and heel portion -5- being preferably made in a single piece of the best uality of sole-leather, the under side o-f w ich at the instep is skive'd away at -7- to give it greater flexibility at this point.

An extra sole -8- is secured along its marginal edges by the same stitching as 9 to the main sole Jlat the front of the instep for reinforcing purposes and also to afford a better sup-port for the cleats or spurs presently described. v

The heel portion of the main sole is also provided with a lift l0- nailed or otherwise secured to the adjacent heel portion of the 'main sole, and together with the extra sole -S-f. is made of heavy sole-leather of good wearing qualities. The extra sole section -8- and heel lift 10 are important in shoes of this type in resisting the upward pressure of the several cleats against the inner sole and foot of the wearer, while the cleats themselves are secured to the under side of the extra 100 sole -8- and heel-lift -10- in such man-V p ner as to distribute the upward pressure of each more evenly over the entire surface of the sole and heel without adding excessive weight or using an n cleats, which when secured in operative position also serve to secure the extra sole 8- l and heel-lift -'10 to the adjacent portions of the main sole -4-.

excessive number of the the same form and size for inter-change- 4ability from one part to another of the shoe,

the form of truncated cones of circular cross.

section to avoid sharp corners and thereby to reduce the liability of injury to other players, who may accidentally co-me in contact therewith.

These cleats or spurs l1- together with the extra sole -8 and heel-lift l0-e are preferably fastened tothe main sole 4 prior tothe securement of the latter to the insole -2- and may, therefore, constitute a distinct article ofmanufacture to be applied to various forms and styles of uppers as -1-, the heel being usually provided with a pair of the cleats arranged side by Iside in spaced relation substantially midway between the front and rear edges of the heel to bring the bearing or support more nearly in vertical alinement with the center of gravity of the wearer when resting upon the heels.

The sole is provided with a series, in this instance five, of the cleats or spurs 1lone of which is arranged close to the toe of the sole and substantially mid-.way

.between opposite sides thereof, while the others arearranged in pairs, those of one pair being located side by side in transversely spaced relation just at the front of the instep, while those of the other pair are arranged side by side in transversely spaced relation directly under the ball of the foot or substantially mid-way between the'front cleatand rear pair of cleats.

The two pairs'of cleats directly in front' of the instepand under the ball of the foot also the two cleats on the heel afford a firm, square support for the user when standing, while the single front cleat near the toe provides a means for a quick get away,v

the two cleats at the heel providing means for a quick stop.

The entire system of cleats arranged, as described, serves to distribute the supportlng points in such manner as to balance the user in practically any position he may assume without undue pressure upon any particular part of the foot.

The means for securing the heel cleats to theunder side of the heel consists of a thin steel plate l2 having a series of, in this instance four, radially projecting arms arranged in pairs, those of each pair being diametrically opposite each other, one pair of arms as 13 being secured by rivets -14 to and through the adjacent heel portion of the main sole lwhile those of the other pair of arms as -15- are provided with pendent hollow bosses 16-4 extending through registering apertures 17' 1n the heel portionsv '-5- and -l0-, and threaded internally for engagement by threaded ends of screws l8- which are passed through central apertures h-19- in the heel cleats 11-.

The lower ends of the screw openings -l7- are preferably enlarged or counter` sunk to receive the heads of the screws above the lower faces of the cleats when the latter are firmly secured in place,I` under which conditions, the heel portions -5- and -10- willbe firmly clamped together between the larger ends of the cleats and metal anchor plate -12-.

The means for clamping each of the sole cleats in place consists of a T-shaped steel anchor plate -20 having the intermediate portion of its stem 2l-and the outer ends of its head -2Q secured by rivets -23- to the upper face of the main sole -4-, the central portion of the head of each of the anchor plates 20- being provided with a pendent hollow boss 24- projecting through registering apertures -25 in the sole portions Jland -8- and threaded internally for receiving the threaded end of a screw *2G- similar to the screw 1S- in that it is provided with a head engaging in a counter sunk lower end 0f the corre sponding cleat above the lower end face thereof, thereby providing a 'marginal flange on the lower end of each cleat surrounding the screw head and protecting the latter against undue wear, while at the same time the sockets in which the heads of the screws are seated serve as small cups to reduce the liability of slipping when in engagement with harder ground.

V'llhe larger ends of the several conical cleats are substantially flat to rest flatwise against the under side of the eXtra sole -8- and heel-lift -lO- and when secured in place by the screws -26- coperate with their respective anchor plates 20.- and 12- to clamp the extra sole -8- and lift 10- to the main sole -4-, the vertical depth of the` hollow bosses -16- and -24- being slightly less than the combined thickness of the main sole +4- and eXtra lifts or pieces -8-` and `-l0-, and, therefore, terminate slightly above the lower faces of said extra pieces to enable the cleats to be withdrawn tightly against the lower faces thereof.

Making the cleats circular in cross section and conical longitudinally not only renders them self-cleaning from mud in. which theyu may become embedded but also facilitates their withdrawal therefrom against suction and frictional resistance incidental to their becoming embedded in the mud or clay and also reduces the liability of injury to other players in case they may come in contact with the surfaces of the cleats, all of which add greatly to .the efficiency and desirability of a shoe equipped the arch of the foot Without destroying the exibility of the instep. In assembling the various parts, the anchor plates with the hollow bosses thereon are first riveted to the sole and heel portions of the main sole with the internally threaded hollow bosses projecting downwardly through and slightly.

beyond the apertures therein to enter the registering apertures in the extra sole and lift of the heel after which the cleats may be securely attached to the lower faces of the eXtra sole and heel-lift by means of their respective screws to hold them in place ready for stitching the main sole including the eXtra sole to the welt and inner sole, and also for nailing the heel-lift to the heel portion of the main sole.

What I claim is:

In a foot-ball shoe, a one-piece leather sole and heel, a thin metal plate applied to the upper face of the heel and provided with pendent hollow bosses projecting through apertures in the heel portion and threaded internally, a heel-lift applied to the under side of the heel/portion and provided with apertures registering with the first named apertures and frustoconical spurs having their larger ends flat and bearing against the under side of the heel and provided with central upwardly projecting threaded members screwed into the internally threaded bosses, an extra sole applied to the lower faceof the main sole portion, a series of relatively thin metal plates secured to the upper face of the main sole portion in spaced relation and provided' with hollow bosses projecting upwardly through apertures in the main sole portion, said eXtra sole being provided with apertures registering with those in the main sole portion, and separate conical studs having their larger ends flat and engaged with the under side of the extra sole and provided with upwardly projecting threaded members screwing into the hollow bosses.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of April 1921.

JOSEPH KARL SCHWARZER.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, M. R. COOKE. 

